Process of sterilization and cleansing.



E. E. LAWRENCE.

PROGESS 0F STERILIZA TION AND CLEANSING. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 7, 1913.

LlfiUJLBU. Patelited Apr. 18, 1916.

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THE COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH co., WASHINGTON, 1/. c

E. E. LAWRENCE.

G N S N A E L C D N A N 0 T A Z IL Du E S F 0 a s S t.. C 0 on P 1w 9 7 V O N D E L F N O T A C L P DI A Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

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EDWARD E. LAWRENCE, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO LOOSE-WILES BISCUIT COMPANY, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

PROCESS OF STERILIZATION AND CLEANSING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 19116.

Application filed November 7, 1913. Serial No. 799,832.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. LAWRENCE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Processes of Sterilization and Cleansing, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to an improved process of sterilization and cleansing, particularly intended for use in removing icing from wire trolley hooks on which the cakes are supported while subjected to the icing operation and for thoroughly cleansing said hooks. An incidental purpose of the invention is the reclaiming of the icing removed from the hooks.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood 1 have disclosed in the accompanying drawings a single embodiment of means for carrying out the said process.

In said drawings,-Figure 1 is a view, partially in side elevation and partially in vertical longitudinal section, of a sterilizer by which my process may be carried out; Fig. 2 is a detail in vertical, longitudinal section, representing a portion of the discharge end of the sterilizer; Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation of the sterilizer; Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section thereof; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal transverse section thereof on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Cakes and like edibles have long been coated with icing. This operation is customarily practised by hanging the cakes upon hooks carried by so-called icing trolleys. The cakes so carried are passed to and fro through suitable driers and are ultimately removed from the hooks. It has been exceedingly diflicult to remove the icing from the said hooks so that the latter are in satisfactory condition for re-use. Heretofore so far as I am aware, the hooks have been washed in hot water and the water has been boiled down so as to reclaim the sugar of the icing. This process is objectionable for several reasons, one of which is that it necessitates the use of more steam than the reclaimed sugar is worth.

In accordance with my invention and in order to carry out my process, I preferably provide a suitable conveyer which I have herein chosen to represent as composed of a pair of chains corresponding in all substantial respects to the so-called icing trolley. These chains are provided with suitable pro- Jections to receive the hooks. The chains or other suitable conveyer travel through a suitable sterilizer, wherein they are subjected to the action of superheated steam. In this manner, the icing is very quickly and inexpensively removed from the hooks, and the icing may be reclaimed at small expense.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and to the selected embodiment of means for carrying out my process, the up rights or standards of the apparatus are indicated at 1 in the several figures, being composed preferably of four angle iron members suitably connected together and having extending upwardly therefrom a suitable housing. This housing may be composed of a suitable number of angle iron members 2 arranged in a general truncated, pyramidal form and having an inner sheathing or facing of galvanized sheeting 3 or other suitable material. Preferably I pro-- vide some suitable non-heat-conducting or insulating surface, such, for example, as eighty-five per cent. magnesia blocks 4 which may be secured in position by magnesia cement or any other suitable manner. I may provide an outer facing 5 of some suitable material, such, for example, as a layer of cheese cloth painted with enamel. It is to be understood, however, that the housing and its support may be of any suitable construction.

The housing is entirely closed at its upper end, but at its lower end is entirely open across the entire inlet end 6 and the entire outlet end 7. I

While any suitable conveyer may be provided for the hooks, 1 preferably employ a pair of endless chains 8 which may be substantially identical in construction with the socalled icing trolley chains. These chains are supported upon suitable sprocket wheels 8, 9, arranged upon shafts 10, 11, the shaft 11 being shown as mounted interiorly of the housing. The shaft 10 is represented as exterior to the outlet end of the housing and as provided with a pulley 12 by which the said shaft may be positively driven from any suitable source of power. Preferably the sprocket pinions 8 are not positively driven.

The chains 8 are provided with suitable the trolley chains of the drier.

ping and drying operation, the entire sur-' inwardly extending projections 13 arranged in pairs, and upon which the hooks 14 are placed by the attendant at the inlet end 6. These so -calle'd hooks, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4, are preferablyof general U-shape, the upturned arms of which are provided with hooked or looped extremities 15 taking *over the said projections 18. Upwardly extending from the cross portion of the hooks 14 are the pins 16, upon which the iced cakes or other articles are suitably impaled. In using these hooks the cakes are customarily impaled upon the pins 16, and the hooks are then manually dipped with the cakes into the icing container, and then hung upon In this dipface of the hooks becomes coated with the ici g. and as the icing dries it becomes very difficult to remove.

It will be observed that the hooks 11- are suspended upon the projections 13 with the open side of the terminal hooks toward the attendant. This is preferably done in order to permit the ready and automatic removal of'the hooks from the chains 8 after treatment in the sterilizer. The hooks may be removed in any suitable manner from the chains. It is obvious, howe er. that they are discharged in a highly heated condition.

For this reason, and also in order to operate the apparatus at less expense, 1 preferably provide forthe automatic discharge of the hooks. In this embodiment of the invention, I accomplish this result by providing a transverse shaft 16 having extending therefrom a pair of rods 17 here shown as ex-- tending into proximity to the shaft 10. The hooks 14 as they arrive at the point of discharge ride upon the upper surface of the rods 17, as represented in Fig. and are thus released from their supporting projections 13. In the onward movcn'ient of the chains,'these projections 13 tumble the hooks off the rods 17 so that they fall into a suitable receiver 18, as represented in Fig. 2. The chains 8 are endless, as represented, so that the described operation may be con tinued indefinitely.

In order to provide a suitable agent for removing the icing, I introduce steam into the housing. For this purpose, I have provided a steam inlet pipe 19, which, as indicated at 20 in Fig. 4, extends transversely across the housing and is provided with. small discharge openings 21. The inlet pipe 19 is provided with a suitable valve 22, and in order tosecure the best results, the steam at a suitable pressure, as, for example, fifty pounds, is admitted into the sterilizer until all Water is blown out of the pipes. Then the valve 22 is shut off until it is barely cracked, the steam pipe being preferably covered up to the point when it enters the sterilizer, as it is of exceeding importance in obtaining the best results that the steam be dry. By cracking the valve, the steam 41S compressed and so is raised to a higher temperature as it is discharged than it would transversely of the housing. Not only does this gutter or deflector prevent the direct downward discharge of the admitted steam, but it conducts all water of ceiulensation to the side walls of the housing, as clearly shown in Fig. 4:.

It is important that the water of condensation be promptly removed from the housing, and that it shall not drip into the reclaimed icing. Therefore I provide certain of the walls of the housing, as, for example,

the two end walls, with inclined gutters or troughs 24, one of which is indicated in Fig. 1. As there shown, this gutter is of general inverted V-form, and is open at its upper face along its entire length so as to receive all water of condensation that may trickle down the end wall. Both of the end troughs 24: discharge downwardly, as indicated in said figure, into troughs 25, which extend along substantially the lower edges of the side walls, being suitably inclined if desired and provided with suitable outlets 26, which may be provided with valves.

The housing is preferably provided with a suitable pyrometer 27 inserted in one of the walls thereof.

The icing, customarily containing sugar, glucose and gelatin, drips from the hooks into a suitable hopper 28 tapered as represented and arranged below the inlet and outlet openings 6 and 7 for the hooks. This hopper is preferably provided with a suitable valve 29, which is desirably a quick opening valve and may be of the so-called Lunkenheimer type. Beneath the hopper, I may provide a suitable receptacle 30 to receive the icing.

It will be observed that the housing is entirely open at the ends where the hooks are inserted and discharged. The superheated dry steam admitted at the upper part of the housing fills substantially the entire inclosure of the housing, but across the lower end of the housing at about the level of the top of the openings 6 and 7, a veil or layer of saturated steam extends. This saturated steam does not perform any function in the cleaning of the hooks, but does form a seal for. the overlying superheated steam. The

1,180,160 till temperature of the layer or veil of saturated steam is substantially 200 to 212 F.

From the foregoing description, it will be evident that the icing hooks may be readily and thoroughly cleansed at slight expense, and that if desired the sugar of the icing may be reclaimed. The employment of superheated steam is of great importance, as by its use I have solved the problem of thoroughly cleaning the hooks at comparatively slight expense.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of means for carrying out my process, I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in av generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims.

1. That process of sterilization and cleansing comprising the following steps; admitting superheated steam to an open housing, sealing the opening of said housing by a veil or layer of saturated steam and subjecting the article to be sterilized to the action of the superheated steam in said housmg.

2. That process of sterilization and cleansing which comprises, passing the article to be sterilized into and upwardly within a housing, admitting superheated steam into the upper portion of said housing and to said article while in the upper portion of the housing, and sealing the admission opening of the housing by a layer of saturated steam, whereby the article is subjected to the action of the superheated steam in said housm 5. That process of sterilization and cleansing which comprises, passing the article to be sterilized into, upwardly within and through a housing, admitting superheated steam into the upper portion of said housing and to said article while in the upper portion of the housing, and sealing the admission and discharge openings of the housing by a layer of saturated steam, whereby the article is subjected to the action of the superheated steam in said housing.

4. That process of sterilization and cleansing which comprises, passing the article to be sterilized into an open-bottom housing and upwardly within the same, admitting steam to the upper portion of said housing and to said article within the upper portion thereof at substantially 218 F. and sealing the open bottom of the housing by the condensed lower stratum of the steam, whereby the article is subjected to the action of the superheated steam in said housing.

5. That process of sterilization and cleansing which comprises passing the article to be sterilized into, upwardly within and through an open-bottom housing, compressing steam and admitting it in a superheated condition to the upper portion of said housing and to said article in the upper portion thereof and sealing the open bottom of the housing by the condensed lower stratum of the steam, whereby the article is subjected to the action of the superheated steam in said housing.

6. That process of sterilization and cleansing comprising the following steps; confining a volume of superheated steam by interposing a sealing veil or layer of saturated steam across an outlet of a chamber wherein the sterilization occurs and subjecting the desired article to the sterilizing action of said superheated steam while in said cham- 7. That process of sterilization and cleansing comprising the following steps; introducing superheated steam through and into the upper part of a housing having an open lower end, but otherwise closed against the escape of steam, sealing the said open lower end of the housing by a veil or layer of saturated steam, and subjecting the article to be sterilized and cleansed to the action of the superheated steam in said housing.

8. That process of sterilization and cleansing comprising the following steps; introducing superheated steam through and into the upper part of a housing having an open lower end, but otherwise closed against the escape of steam, sealing the said open lower end of the housing by a veil or layer of saturated steam and passing the article to be sterilized and cleansed into the housing through said veil of saturated steam, thence upwardly inside the housing, into the superheated steam therein, and finally downwardly in said housing and out therefrom through said veil of saturated steam and said open lower end.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD E. LAWRENCE.

Witnesses:

THoMAs J. SHEERIN, THEODORE 13. Gwen.

Gopiea of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

